


Stiff Upper Lip

by flandy_dandy



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fleeing the Country, Pearl Harbor - Freeform, Period-Typical Sexism, Sibling Bonding, The Blitz, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-24 02:52:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13801854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flandy_dandy/pseuds/flandy_dandy
Summary: Paige has always had a happy life with her mother and brothers. But it's 1939, and her home has declared war on Germany. Perhaps her life won't be happy for much longer.





	1. September 1939

The school bells rang, and children filed out of their schools. They all seemed to hurry home more than usual. Near the front of the crowd was a young girl with messy brown hair pulled into a ponytail. She ran towards the middle school, and a boy with hair the same shade as hers began to follow her. The two passed by the high school, and another brown-haired boy started to follow them. The trio walked a couple blocks, and they finally reached their home. As soon as the three entered the house, the younger of the boys pulled the girl’s hairband out.

 

“Davis! Give it back!” The girl jumped up and tried to grab it, but Davis held it out of her reach. The older boy snatched the band out of Davis’ fingers, and he frowned.

 

“Now now Davis, you need to be nice to Paige.” He held out the band, and Paige smiled.

 

“Thank you, Brenton.” She reached out to take it, but Brenton pulled his hand back. Paige’s expression deflated, and she punched her brother. “You twit! Give it back!” Brenton laughed but stopped as the hairband was pulled from his grip. He turned, and a young man with shaggy brown hair was standing behind him.

 

“Luke, you always ruin the fun,” Davis muttered as he and Brenton ran off. Luke looked down at his younger sister and dropped the band in her palms. Paige smiled and gave her brother a quick hug.

 

“Thanks, Luke!” Luke let out a chuckle and bent down to her level.

 

“Try punching him harder, or go for his toes. His toes are his weakness.” He ruffled her hair, and he went in the direction of his brothers. Paige pulled her hair back into a ponytail and ran upstairs to her room. She set down her backpack and pulled a sketchbook out of it. She walked over to the window in her room and began to sketch what she saw. Boys her age playing football in the street, women out walking with their husbands, and the local stray cat Ruby Jernigan seems to have adopted. By the time she finished, her mother called her down to dinner. Paige quickly scribbled her name and the date at the bottom and ran down the stairs.

 

The dinner table was silent, except for the chewing of a family of five. As everyone was finishing their dinner, Mrs. Horne cleared her throat. “So...how was school loves?” Paige began to bounce in her chair.

 

“It’s only the third day of school and a couple kids are gone! We all thought they were sick, but Ms. Beasley says that they moved away. So now we’re kinda confused on why they even bothered coming to school if they were going to move away!” Mrs. Horne coughed into her fist, and Davis nodded.

 

“The same thing happened at my school, too! Even Elliot is gone too, and he’s my best friend! He would’ve told me.” The three oldest at the table exchanged glances, and Mrs. Horne cleared her throat.

 

“Loves, they’re gone because their parents thought it would be safer if they left.” Paige cocked her head to the side, and Davis seemed to be catching on. “Speaking of leaving, your brothers and I decided we would have you leave too.” Davis’ eyes widened, and Paige looked at her brothers and mother in disbelief.

 

“Mum, you can’t be serious. I can’t just leave London! Think of everyone I’d be leaving behind!” Paige nodded her head as Davis spoke, trying to catch someone’s eye. No one would look at her.

 

“Davis, it’s for the best. We don’t know what the Germans are going to do, and we want to protect you two.” Luke attempted to calm down the youngest brother, but Paige decided to speak up.

 

“What about Brenton? He’s not truly an adult, so why does he get to stay? Why do I have to leave?” Brenton’s head jerked when he heard his name, but he was determined to not look his sister in the eye.

 

“Sweetie, Brenton’s almost an adult. He’s going to finish up school, and then he’ll help fight the Germans. We talked this over.” Paige saw her mother’s eyes were watering, and she snapped her jaw shut.

 

“W-when do we leave?” Davis asked.

 

“This Friday. It should give you enough time to say goodbye and get your things ready.” Mrs. Horne said. Paige hastily wiped away a tear, and Davis weakly stabbed his steak. The rest of dinner was eaten in silence.

* * *

 

The day had come, and the Horne family was standing at the train station. Mrs. Horne fixed Paige’s coat and made sure her suitcase was closed. She then licked her thumb and wiped some dirt off of Davis’ cheek.

 

“Alright, are you positive you have everything?” The youngest members nodded sharply. Paige didn’t know what Davis was bringing but she had her sketchbook, a stuffed lamb, a picture of her family, and at least 20 different pens and pencils.

 

“Do we really have to leave?” Paige weakly protested. Mrs. Horne nodded and kissed her forehead. Luke and Brenton gave her tight hugs, and they all moved onto Davis. As the family finished their goodbyes, the passengers were called onto the train. Davis grabbed Paige’s hand, and they walked to the train. They found a good place to sit, and the siblings put their luggage above the seats. They sat in silence for a while, before Davis rolled down the window of their cart. He seemed to be scanning the crowd, then his eyes lit up.

 

“Paige! I found them!” Paige stood, and leaned out of the window. She looked where Davis is pointing, and saw her mother and brothers. She locked eyes with Brenton, who directed the rest of the family’s sight towards Davis and her. She waved at them enthusiastically, and they waved back. The train started to move, but Paige and Davis didn’t stop waving until their family was out of their sight. They leaned back into the train, and Paige closed the window.

 

“Why can’t we go to the same place?” Paige asked. Davis sighed and looked out the window.

 

“Because Mum thought sending you to a girl’s home way up north would be safer. Since you’re staying at a girl’s home, Mum sent me to a boy’s home. It’s just the way it is.” Paige began to play with her thumbs when their compartment door slid open. There were two girls with chestnut colored hair, and the shorter of the two was holding the hand of a little boy. The taller girl sighed and clasped her hands together.

 

_“Mi scusi, parli Italiano?”_ Davis and Paige exchanged a clueless look, and Davis shrugged. The taller girl muttered something under her breath. She appeared to be deep in thought, and the two children standing next to her seemed nervous. Finally, she opened her mouth and spoke in heavily accented English.

 

“Do you speak English?” Davis nodded, and the girl let out a huge breath. She turned to her siblings, spoke to them in the language Paige didn’t understand, and the shorter girl spoke.

 

“Can we sit? Or is the _scomparto_ full?” Paige looked at Davis for the answer, because Mrs. Horne had put him in charge during the trip.

 

“No, no one else is in here. You three can sit.” The shorter girl’s face lit up, and she began to clap her hands.

 

_“_ _Grazie! Grazie!”_ She began to say it over and over, and the smaller boy joined in with the clapping and chanting. The tall girl finished putting away their luggage, and the three foreigners sat down. It was silent for a while, then Davis cleared his throat.

 

“So...ah...who are you?” The tall girl was frozen for a second, deep in thought again, before she smiled gently.

 

“My name is Carlotta Piccoli. Girl there is _mia sorella_ , and her name is Letizia. Little boy is _nostro fratello_ , and his name is Marciano.” The three siblings looked back at Davis and Paige, and Paige decided she didn’t like people staring at her. Carlotta seemed to be getting impatient. “What are your names?”

 

“My name is Davis Horne, and this is my little sister Paige.” The two sisters nodded, but Marciano seemed confused. Carlotta leaned down and repeated their names while pointing at them. The compartment was silent again.

 

“Why are you two on train?” Letizia asked. Davis was about to speak, but Paige dug an elbow into his side. He had done most of the talking for her, and she wanted a turn.

 

“Our mum and brothers decided London wasn’t safe after we declared war, so they sent me and Davis to places that will be safer.” Letizia smiled and began to look around.

 

“Where are brothers?” Judging by how broken her English was, Paige guessed that she would much rather throw in some words of her first language than keep speaking English.

 

“Oh, no. Our brothers are still in London. They’re going to help fight Germany!” Carlotta nodded and looked out the window.

 

“Why are you all on a train? Why aren’t you in...whatever country you were born in?” Paige asked. Davis grabbed and pulled on her ponytail, hard. She let out a screech, and Marciano covered his ears. Carlotta leaned down to her brother’s level and whispered to him in the language Paige couldn’t put her finger on. Letizia sighed as she realized she would have to tell the story.

 

“When me and _sorella_ were little, our _papà e mamma_ opened a clothes store. It was _Mamma’s_  dream to open store where she could sew. But when Marciano was born, mafia came to store and say, _‘Other mafias want to kill you! We can protect, but give us store_ prodotti _for free!’_ And _Papà,_ being the _smidollato_ man he was, let mafia take _prodotti_ and hid them from police.

 

But as time passed, _Papà_ knew that hiding mafia was not good for children. So he say to mafia, _‘No more!’_ Mafia not happy with that, so they say they kill us. That scared _Papà e Mamma_ , so _Mamma_ takes Carlotta, Marciano and me to _Inghilterra_.” Letizia paused, and Paige frowned.

 

“Well? I haven’t got all day!” Davis tugged Paige’s ponytail again, and she muttered a quick, “Bugger off.” Letizia giggled at the slang but continued the story.

 

“We in _Inghilterra_ for one year before war. _Mamma_ did not want us hurt by _Germania_ , so she packs suitcase and put us on train. Then we meet you, and I tell you story!” Letizia finished the story, and Paige found it hard to not laugh at her broken English.

 

“That sounds rough. But if all goes well in the war, we’ll be home soon!” Davis said. Carlotta smiled, and Letizia clapped her hands. Paige suddenly felt herself lurch forward, and she looked out. There were a few older women and men standing by the train. Some children began to file off the train. Davis stood up and grabbed his suitcase.

 

“Davis? Where are you going?” Paige grabbed his arm, and he looked at her.

 

“I need to get off now. The boy’s home is a short walk from here.” Paige felt tears well up in her eyes, and she hastily wiped them away. She also saw the Italians staring at them from the corner of her eye.

 

“Paige, you can’t come with me. Mum said we would be apart. She asked you to be strong, remember?”

 

“I don’t want to be alone, Davis! You should come with me!” Davis managed to pry off two of his sister’s fingers, and wrapped her up in a hug.

 

“I can’t. I know it’s bloody stupid, but you need to be strong for Mum, Luke, and Brenton. Okay? You can write to me, I bet Mum will give you the address of where I’m staying if you ask. Now, I really need to go.” Davis pulled away from the hug and ruffled her hair. Paige watched Davis leave the compartment, and turned to sit down. She noticed Carlotta was holding her luggage, and Marciano was holding his own.

 

_“Stai sicuro, ok?”_ Carlotta pulled her sister into a hug.

 

_“Lo farò, lo prometto,”_ Letizia replied, still holding the elder sister. A gentle smile appeared on Carlotta’s face.

 

_“Questa è la mia ragazza. Mamma e papà sarebbero orgogliosi.”_ Carlotta pulled away from her sister and began to walk away. Marciano let go of his sister’s hand and gave Letizia a hug.

 

_“Ciao sorella! Arrivederci!”_ He said, then he ran to catch up with Carlotta. Letizia sat down, and let out a quiet sniffle. Paige decided that the Italian shouldn’t be alone, so she sat next to the crying girl.

 

“Why did your sister leave?” Letizia looked at Paige and wiped her tears.

 

“ _Mamma_ say that Carlotta older, so she take care of Marciano when we are gone. Since Marciano not girl, _Mamma_ sent them to sleep in school.” Paige decided to ignore the girl’s horrendous English and patted her arm.

 

“Why aren’t you all going to the same place?”

 

“ _Mamma_ say that girl’s home is safest place. She sends me there, Carlotta and Marciano here.” Paige nodded.

 

“That’s the same with me and Davis, but he’s going to a boy’s home.” Letizia nodded, and she looked out the window. Suddenly, she jumped up and lowered the glass. She leaned out of the window and began to wave like crazy. Paige joined her, and she saw Davis waving at her. She waved back, and the train began to pull away. Soon neither of the girls could see their siblings, so they put the window up and sat down. The compartment was silent for a while until...

 

“How about I teach you proper English?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Mi scusi, parli Italiano? = Excuse me, do you speak Italian?  
> scomparto = compartment  
> Grazie! Grazie! = Thank you! Thank you!  
> mia sorella = my sister  
> nostro fratello = our brother  
> prodotti = products  
> smidollato = spineless  
> Inghilterra = England  
> Germania = Germany  
> Stai sicuro, ok? = Stay safe, okay?  
> Lo farò, lo prometto = I will, I promise  
> Questa è la mia ragazza. Mamma e papà sarebbero orgogliosi. = That's my girl. Mom and Dad would be proud.  
> Ciao sorella! Arrivederci! = Bye sister! See you later!


	2. September 1939 - December 1939

Eventually, the train screeched to a halt in what seemed to be the middle of the woods. Paige looked out the window and saw only women outside.

 

“I believe this is our stop.” She said to the Italian girl next to her. Letizia nodded, and they both grabbed their luggage and got off of the train. As Paige looked around, she noticed a woman calling for girls in fifth grade. Paige then turned to Letizia.

 

“Are you in fifth grade?” She nodded, and Paige grabbed her sleeve. “Then we need to go this way.” She roughly pulled Letizia to get her to follow, and the Italian let out a yelp. The two girls reached the woman, and she glanced down at them. The woman had pale blonde hair pulled into a bun and a pair of glasses perched on the tip of her nose. Her pale blue eyes seemed to be analyzing them, then she bent down and smiled.

 

“Do you two need help?” Paige fought back the urge to roll her eyes. She was ten, not five! Before she could reply to the woman, Letizia stepped in.

 

“Did you call for fifth-graders?” The woman’s eyebrows shot up as she heard the girl speak with a heavy accent but nodded anyway. (Paige took immense satisfaction in how teaching her proper English had paid off.)

 

“I did! Are you both in fifth grade?” Paige and Letizia nodded at the same time. The woman adjusted her clipboard and pulled out a pen from her hair. “What are your names?”

 

“Paige Trinity Horne,” Paige stated with a bit of authority. The woman put a checkmark next to something, and she looked at Letizia expectantly.

 

“Letizia Piccoli. Do we have to say our middle names?” The woman shook her head as she placed another checkmark.

 

“You two will be taught and looked after by me. I am Ms. Shaw. Do you have any questions?” Paige raised her hand and Ms. Shaw laughed. “What is it?”

 

“Can we write letters? And if we can, can we send pictures?” Ms. Shaw nodded and cocked her head as she looked at Letizia.

 

“Are you Italian, Letizia?” Letizia nodded and began to speak rapid Italian until Ms. Shaw put a finger to her lips. “I don’t actually speak Italian, but I figured by your accent and name.”

 

“How did you know?” Letizia asked with a little gleam in her eye. Ms. Shaw giggled when she saw the girl’s face.

 

“My sister-in-law is Italian. Her name is Sefora, you would like her.” She looked like she wanted to say more, but her attention was pulled to a girl the same age as Paige and Letizia. The girls stood there for five more minutes, and finally, the last girl was checked by Ms. Shaw. She clapped her hands, and the fifth-graders looked at her.

 

“Alright! You’ll stay close to me when we get to St. Celine’s and until you are shown your room. Does everyone understand?” The girls nodded, and there were a couple “Yes.” Ms. Shaw began to walk on a gravel road, and the other women and girls began to follow her.

 

“Is it okay if I am scared?” Letizia asked, and Paige nodded.

 

“We’re going to be fine. My brother is going to beat those Germans to a bloody pulp. Then we can all go home!” Letizia looked at Paige in awe, and she began to hop up and down.

 

“Your _fratello_ will beat up _Germania_ by himself? _Così bello!_ ” Paige nodded, and she skipped along the path. Yes, Luke would bash in every German’s skull and he’d return home a hero! Paige could see it now, her brother showered in roses and giving her and Mrs. Horne a huge hug. No hugs for Brenton or Davis, because they were tossers. She was dragged out of her thoughts when Letizia elbowed her.

 

“What was that for?”

 

“Ms. Shaw is speaking.” She whispered and pointed to the front of the crowd.

 

“Welcome to St. Celine’s. You will go with your teacher soon, and she will show you around the school. Be very quiet, for there are classes going on. Now, go! Make it snappy!” The quiet group erupted into chatter as girls pushed and shoved to reach their teachers. Paige made a beeline for Ms. Shaw, and Letizia had trouble keeping up. The crowd was separated, and the girls began their tours. Paige zoned out for most of it until they arrived at their rooms. The room was larger than her kitchen at home, and there were bunk beds around the walls.

 

“You all will be sleeping here, and you will share the room with sixth-graders. You will choose your bunkmate, then report to me which bed you’re in. Once that is finished, there is some free time before dinner.” As soon as she finished her sentence, the girls ran to pick out their bunks. Paige went to one close to a window and climbed onto the top bunk.

 

“Letizia! You get the bottom bunk.” The Italian frowned but put her suitcase on her bed. She then began to investigate the bedposts. “What are you doing?”

 

“Looking for a number. We need to tell Ms. Shaw what bed we will sleep in.” Letizia smiled and ran to Shaw. They exchanged a few words, and Letizia came back. “We can now do whatever we want! Do you want to play _calcio_ in the yard? Or maybe we can _treccia_ our hair? Oh! What if I teach you _Italiano,_ _la lingua più bella del mondo!_ ” Paige cocked her head.

 

“What does _calcio_ mean? And _treccia_? I can’t do that stuff if I don’t understand.” Letizia’s face turned red, and she quickly apologized.

 

“I don’t know the English words...what is the game where you hit a ball with your feet?”

 

“Football.”

 

“ _Sì! Sì!_ What do you do with hair that you can have one or two of, and the _Francese_ have their own version?”

 

“Braid?”

 

“ _Sì!_ ” Letizia jumped onto Paige’s bunk and looked at her expectantly. “Do you want to do those?” Paige looked at her suitcase, then back at Letizia.

 

“No thanks. I’ll stay up here.” Disappointment flooded Letizia’s expression, and she got off of the bunk.

 

“Okay. But if you get bored and want to play with me, I’ll be waiting!” She then ran out of the room, yelling if anyone wanted to braid her hair. Paige stared at the doorway, then opened her suitcase. She took out her stuffed lamb and gave it a squeeze, then set it on the pillow. She then took out her sketchbook and pencils and looked out the window. She began to sketch the girls playing football and the one’s braiding each other’s hair. She caught sight of Letizia braiding a little girl’s hair and decided to make Letizia stand out more. Paige shaded heavier and erased the other people’s expressions. As soon as she signed her name and date, a bell rang for dinner. Paige closed her sketchbook and darted out of the room.

 

“Paige! Come here!” Letizia called. Paige skipped over to her and looked at the girl standing next to her. She had curly blonde hair that fell down her back and she was avoiding everyone’s eyes. “This is Elizabeth, and she seemed lonely. Can she eat with us?” Elizabeth looked up at Paige’s chocolate eyes, and she immediately looked away.

 

“Sure. Now let’s hurry, I’m starving!” The three girls ran to the dining hall and found a seat in the middle. Paige and Letizia fell into an easy conversation but Elizabeth sat next to them, barely listening.

 

“Brenton is just a huge tosser. If someone said that they were going to kill him, I would tell them to go ahead.” Letizia gasped and shook her head.

 

“You don’t wish that, he’s your brother! I bet if someone actually said that, you would beg for them to leave him be.” Paige rolled her eyes, then glanced at Elizabeth.

 

“Elizabeth, do you have any siblings?” Elizabeth jerked her head up and glanced between Paige and Letizia. Her nervous expression softened, and a glimmer of a smile appeared on her face.

 

“I do, actually. I have a younger sister named Sadie and a younger brother named Jack. My parents usually left me in charge of them, but I never minded.” Paige noted that she loved talking about her siblings, and the three girls began to have an animated conversation about where they grew up. Suddenly, Shaw stood up and rang a bell. The girls who had lived there before the evacuations stood, but Shaw gestured for them to sit down.

 

“Alright, ladies! You will head upstairs and get ready for bed. Afterwards, you will get an hour to write letters, read, draw, or do anything else that doesn’t disturb anyone who wants to sleep early. Let’s get a move on!” Everyone stood up and ran to the door, not wanting to be the last one to get ready. Paige was at the front of the pack, knowing exactly how to get to the front from having three brothers. She grabbed her pajamas and rushed to the bathroom. She finished brushing her teeth and getting dressed in three minutes and jumped into her bunk. She pulled out a pad of paper and a pen and began to write.

* * *

 

_Dear Mum,_

 

_I don’t know when you’re reading this, but this is being written on the Friday we were shipped out. It was hard when Davis had to leave. I have never been all alone in a place I don’t recognize. I guess I was just scared not having family within walking distance. How is London? I bet everything is as peaceful as it was when I left, and you’re going to bring us back within a month._

 

_You’ll be happy to know I’ve made some new friends. One of them is an Italian, and her name is Letizia. Apparently, her father had a run in with the mafia so he sent his wife and children to London. She didn’t say if anything happened to him after they left, so I might ask soon. I also made a friend named Elizabeth and she’s from Leeds. I never thought I would make a friend with someone who lives that far up north! She has two siblings and loves them very much. I didn’t know siblings could actually get along._

 

_Has Luke left? I know he was talking about signing up for the army as soon as possible, but I want him to stay home for a while longer. When you bring me and Davis back, I want him to give us both big hugs. But don’t tell Davis that I wanted him to get hugged too. If you tell him that, he’ll think I have a fever! Is Brenton getting through school? I figured he would’ve dropped out by his first year, but I don’t think you would let him. Tell him that if he doesn’t finish school (he told me that he was going to drop out the second your worries were set on something else) I’ll jump on a train without a ticket just to come and smack him. I’m being serious here, and he better know it! I was going to ask where Davis is staying so I can write letters, but it’ll be much easier for me if you send him what I tell you to. It’ll be lights out soon, so I’m going to wrap up this letter soon._

 

_Your only daughter,_

_Paige_

* * *

 

**Dear Paige,**

 

**It doesn’t matter when I am reading this, only that I got it. I’m sorry you have to be all alone, but it’s for your own safety. If there was a safer place that wasn’t for a specific gender, I would’ve sent you both there. London is okay, but we’re starting to ration. It doesn’t affect us much yet, as that’s because there’s only two of us here now. I’m not going to bring you back just yet. Once Germany has been defeated I will make sure you get home safely.**

 

**I’m so happy you made new friends! I’ve never met an Italian until a couple days ago. She said that she had three children and her husband was still in Italy. Maybe I met the mother of your friend? She’s been telling me that she’s begging her husband to leave ever since Germany invaded Poland, as she fears that Italy will come next. Elizabeth sounds lovely, if only you got along with your brothers as well as she did.**

 

**Luke left the day after you and Davis left. It’s been pretty lonely with just me and Brenton, but neither of us mind. He will surely be there for you both, I’ll make sure of it myself. I bet Davis would love to hear that he also gets a hug, but I’ll respect your wishes. Brenton is doing just fine. We already talked about him dropping out, so I don’t think he’ll attempt to anytime soon. It would be difficult for me to get everything you want to say to Davis on paper, but from what I read in his letter, he doesn’t want your address either. I guess it’s a win for you. I hope you have much more fun with those friends of yours.**

 

**Love you,**

**Mum**

* * *

 

Everyone seemed to be fascinated that someone was foreign. They were being taught on how to divide when Letizia asked a question (a pretty stupid one, if you ask Paige. But she wouldn’t say that to Letizia because that would hurt her feelings). Suddenly, all of the girls except for Elizabeth and Paige fawned over her accent and asked her to say words in English. She seemed fine about it at first, but she was quickly getting flustered with all of the requests. Shaw had to almost scream to get everyone’s attention. The lesson went on like normal but Letizia was swept away by the sixth-graders as soon as class ended leaving Elizabeth and Paige in the dust. Months passed like that, but it seemed to wear off as soon as December rolled around. By then, everyone was anxious to see if they could be sent home for Christmas.

 

“I’m just saying, it would make everyone much less antsy if they sent us home! I want to see Sadie and Jack.” Elizabeth finished her rant and bit into a carrot. Letizia nodded.

 

“ _Sì_ ! I wish I could see Carlotta and Marciano. I have only been getting their letters, and it is not enough. _Mamma_ would surely take me home for _Natale_ if I asked!” Paige rolled her eyes. Letizia had already asked three times, and her mother rejected the proposal each time. They talked more about Christmas with their families and went to class.

 

When it was Christmas, everyone was the happiest they had been since they arrived. Elizabeth received a hand-knitted scarf from her grandmother, Letizia got a cookbook from her mother, and Paige got a new sketchbook from her mother. As all of the girls were sitting in the middle of their bedroom, Paige began to sketch it all. Once again she added the most detail to Letizia, but she also placed the same amount of emphasis on Elizabeth. She added the date and her name on the bottom as usual and began to write to her mother.

* * *

 

_Dear Mum,_

 

_Thank you so much for the sketchbook! I’ll be sure to use it as much as I possibly can. As thanks, I’m going to send you the sketches I’ve made. The first one was on my first day there. It was a really pretty day, and the sun was shining for once. The second one is Elizabeth playing football against some girls who are in middle school. She won the game for the fifth-graders, and was hailed a hero! She’s painfully shy though, so she ended up crying from all of the attention. The last one is of this morning as we all opened our presents. Everyone was so happy. Tell Luke, Brenton, and Davis that I wish them a Merry Christmas! Also, Letizia is going to start teaching me and Elizabeth Italian, so don’t be surprised if I come back and don’t remember English. (I know that I would never forget English, but it was a joke.) Pet the stray cat for me!_

 

_Your favorite child,_

_Paige_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations-
> 
> Così bello! - So cool!  
> calcio - football  
> treccia - braid  
> Italiano, la lingua più bella del mondo! - Italian, the prettiest language in the world!  
> Sì - Yes  
> Natale - Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If anyone is willing to help with translations (since I'm using google translate but I don't trust it at the same time) that would be great.


End file.
